


Three Minutes

by hollyhobbit101



Series: Season 13 tags [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Broken Sam, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt, Episode Tag, Episode: s13e05 Advanced Thanatology, Gen, Hurt Sam Winchester, sam has feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 09:38:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12745725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyhobbit101/pseuds/hollyhobbit101
Summary: For three minutes, Sam was alone.





	Three Minutes

For three minutes, Sam was alone.

(Of course, it was much more than just three minutes. It was the six months in the Mystery Spot, and the four months Dean was in Hell, the millennia in the Cage, the year with Amelia, the months Dean was a demon because he may have been surrounded by people but he was always, fundamentally, alone. The time just kept racking up and up in his head and Sam began to wonder if he was losing it because spending too much time alone was guaranteed to make a person crack)

(But then he was already cracked and broken and destroyed in every way possible. Duct tape and safety pins was all he was now)

* * *

Three minutes was a blink of an eye. Three minutes was a lifetime. Three minutes was 240 seconds, and it was 240 years. Three minutes was not nearly enough time, and too much time altogether.

As three minutes dragged and sped by, Sam wasn't sure he breathed.

* * *

The tin was labelled with _Dr Roberts: Emergency only_. The name was unfamiliar, but Sam would sure as hell be paying him a visit when _(if)_ they got out of here. There was no way Dean could have pre-empted having to go into the veil to find some ghosts, so, to Sam at least, there was no conceivable reason he would need a hypodermic in their weapons bag. Sam hadn't even known Dean had had them, and he refused to let his mind wander into why he did. Dean wouldn't do that.

Right?

* * *

Three minutes turned into four, turned into five, and Sam was still alone. Panic began to settle in his chest, his stomach, his entire body, and all Sam could do was shake Dean and yell his brother's name, hoping against hope that he'd just wake up. He didn't know what he'd do if Dean was really, truly gone, thrown into the Empty like Billie had promised all those months ago. Billie was dead, but Sam was sure there'd be other reapers out there who'd be more than willing to do the deed. So, if that was the case, what was he supposed to do? He'd lived a future without Dean so many times before and he wasn't sure he could do it again, especially knowing how Dean had _chosen_ to die like that. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair.

* * *

When Dean finally did wake up, Sam wanted to comfort his brother, but all he could do was sit back and close his eyes in relief as the fear slowly (too slowly) began to drain out of his body. He found himself unable to leave his position against the wall, and could only watch as Dean breathed heavily and struggled into an upright position. Neither of them moved for a long time after.

* * *

Sam almost broke when Dean started listing the names of their dead.

Dad.

Bobby.

Mom.

Cas.

Of course, that was only a portion of the pages and pages of names they have on their consciences, but it was one of the most important. To Dean, anyway. Sam wanted to scream at him that he was almost added to that list, that he nearly became another name Sam had to carry round with him for the rest of his life. But he kept silent because Dean wasn't okay, which meant that Sam had to be. Sam had to be the strong one with the unwavering belief and comforting words because that was his job when Dean didn't believe. It was his job.

* * *

Cas returned, and things with Dean started looking up.

Sam broke.

**Author's Note:**

> Did that work? Who knows. Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated!


End file.
